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Multi-Culturalism

Multi-Culturalism. An American Case . Todd Holden. Professor Mediated Sociology Department of Multi-Cultural Societies Graduate School of International Cultural Studies . For Further Review. Find this presentation on my web site :

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Multi-Culturalism

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  1. Multi-Culturalism An American Case

  2. Todd Holden Professor Mediated Sociology Department of Multi-Cultural Societies Graduate School of International Cultural Studies

  3. For Further Review • Find this presentation on my web site: • Also check out various sites related to this presentation: • About Multiculturalism • About the U.S. Constitution • Especially the 14th Amendment • About Race Relations (particularly in the United States) • About the Movie we will see

  4. Racial Struggle and Harmony • In these two lectures we will look at the issue of multi-culturalism in one country (America). • We will see the issue in its original form – ethnicity • In particular the struggle between ethnic groups over their perceived difference

  5. About Multi-culturalism • A wide, deep topic • In part, emerged in reaction to the idea that societies like America were “melting pots” that tended to merge groups • Thus denying their difference(s) • Also, assisted by “Post-Colonial” Theory and the greater emphasis on “Identity”

  6. Rooted in American History • African Americans (once called “Negroes” then called “Blacks”) • Brought forcefully from Africa as slaves • To work on plantations as forced labor

  7. Rooted in American History • A “civil war” was fought in which the southern states tried to break away from the United States “union” of states • Aim: to preserve their slave-based agricultural way of life which the North was seeking to abolish • Until Viet Nam, it was the bloodiest of all American wars. • Ultimately the North “won” but the divisions between the 2 regions and their ways of life remained for over 100 years.

  8. Understanding Racial Division through Cinema • In this movie, Remember the Titans, a (semi-) true story is told about a high school in America in 1971. • The school was in Virginia, a state on the border between North and South. • The time was during “desegregation”

  9. Understanding Desegregation • In the U.S. Constitution, the 14th Amendment (after the Civil War) specifies that there will be “equal protection of the laws” • This means, for instance, that if one (white) student goes to a school with particular resources, then another (black) student should be able to have the same resources. • One problem: in a public school (which receives its money from local taxes), schools in black areas may have less money • Due to less taxes • This, in turn, is based on residents who make less money… • Because of past racial discrimination that led to less highly paying jobs

  10. Understanding Desegregation • Issue: how to redress this balance? • Solution: U.S. Federal (i.e. national) Courts insisted that local school districts create equality of resources and opportunities for students by busing students from one part of a city to another school in the city. • In this way the school became “integrated” with white and black (and later Hispanic and Asian) children from all over the city. • This solution, however, created much resistance and anger – especially among White families.

  11. American Football:A National “Religion” • The basic rules of American Football can be found here • There are those who view football as a religion, in terms of its place in society • It certainly has many martial (military) elements, as is clear from the movie we will see

  12. Remember the Titans:Key Questions • What is the situation that the coaches – Yoest and Boone – face? • What reasons lie behind this situation? • How do they resolve this situation? • Do the coaches manage to get along in the movie? • Think of examples in which they distrust one another or show evidence of conflict. • Think of examples in which they support one another or show evidence of harmony

  13. Remember the Titans:Further Key Questions • How do the players get along with one another? • Think of concrete examples of conflict • Think of examples in which conflict is avoided or else defused • What are situations that lead to players bonding? • How do the players show evidence of bonding? • Do you think that the coaches and players are selfless? Or are they acting for themselves? • Think of some examples for your opinion

  14. Remember the Titans:Key Words • Black Animals • Little Friends • “Coach Coon” • Soul power • “Your people” • Your Momma • Monkey, Jungle Bunny • Trust in the Lord • Knock the chocolate out of folks

  15. Remember the Titans:Key Symbols • “Who’s Your Daddy?” • Gettysberg • Brick • Banana • Seventies Music • “Soul” shake • Team Dance

  16. Music in the Movie Generally: The music of the 60s and 70s used words and music to explain the changes occurring in the society Question: In what ways is the music used to explain the situations in the film? • If you access the lyrics on line, can you find connections between the situations in the movies and the music

  17. Music in the Movie • I Heard it Through the Grapevine • Express Yourself • Ain’t No Mountain High Enough • Spirit in the Sky • It’s a Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall • Spill the Wine • Fire and Rain

  18. Music in the Movie • (Na, Na, Na, Na, Hey, Hey) Goodbye • Time • The Way You Do the Things You Do • (Want to Take you) Higher • I’m Your Venus • Peace Train • Long, Cool Woman in a Black Dress • Up Around the Bend

  19. Key Sentences • “All the head coaches in this city are white, we had to give them something…” • “I’m not Jesus Christ or Martin Luther King, I’m a football coach.” • “This is no democracy, this is a dictatorship. I am the law.” • “Attitude reflect(s) leadership, captain.” • “50,000 men died on this field… fighting the same fight we are fighting today.” • “Hatred destroyed my family… listen and take a lesson from the dead.”

  20. Key Sentences • “Camp over now… we’re back to the real world.” • “Nothing comes between us… nothing tears us apart.” • “You ain’t doing these boys a favor by patronizing them… you’re crippling them. Crippling them for life.” • “Sooner or later a man has to pick sides.” • “I’m sorry for what happened to your daughter, but maybe you got a taste of what my girls go through.”

  21. Key Sentences • “I was afraid of you, Julius… I only saw what I was afraid of. But you are my brother.” • “Everything is not just about winning and losing…” • “I am a winner. I am not going to lose.” • “Now is not the time to be proud.” • “You’ve taught the city how to trust a man for his soul not for how he looks.”

  22. Viewing the Movie, Seeking to Understand Multi-culturalism • Is it possible to have a multi-cultural (ethnic) society? • Is it better to strive for a unitary society where everyone shares one space, one way of doing? • Is cultural understanding the road to community? • What are the biggest obstacles to mutual understanding?

  23. Viewing the Movie, Seeking to Understand Multi-culturalism • Is this a story of: • multi-cultural society? • America? • Or just a team? • In other words is the ritual bonding just about what happens in a team sport or was it specific to this situation?

  24. Applied to Japan • Are these sorts of questions relevant to your country? • Are there any of the multi-cultural issues from this movie that we can see in contemporary Japan? • Or are these all an individualized part of American society?

  25. Understanding Society through Media • This is what I do in this kouza. • Look at the values and ideas that are presented in the text of media • Movies, for example • Also try to pull back from the media and look at the social context that creates the media content • What values can we see in that world that creates that way of communicating

  26. Understanding Societythrough Media • So, for example, we can look at the role of cell phones in a society – and what their use in the society tells us about that society • Also, we can study weblogs or photoblogs and think about their content; and what the values in that content reveals to us • So, too, TV food shows, advertisements and sporting events.

  27. Concluding about this Work • It is among the most challenging and exciting ways to study society (what we call “sociology”) and culture (what we call “anthropology”). • I hope you will think about pursuing this kind of work in the future; • And if you do, I hope you will consider coming to study with us in the Department of Multi-cultural Societies

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